The Family Gets Bigger
by Lilu Pegasus
Summary: This is my first 7th Heaven fic. So please not to harsh on the reviews. Please read and review.
1. The Past Comes Back

This is my first 7th heaven fic and I have seen the shows and I really like them. So Please read and review. Thanks!

Chapter 1

The Past Comes Back

Annie stared at Bethany as she stood in the hallway. Bethany had changed since Simon was little and Annie was positive that is was her real hair on her head.

"Mrs. Camden, it has been such a long time! And who are these two handsome young men?" Bethany asked looking at Sam and David as they stared up at her.

"This is Sam and this is David." Annie said as she patted each boy on the head. And they looked at each other.

They walked into the living room and took a seat as Sam and David ran upstairs to play in their rooms.

"So Bethany how is the treatment going? And if you don't mind me asking, is that your real hair?" Annie asked as she took some of Bethany's auburn hair in her hand and felt the silkiness.

"Yes this is my real hair and I no longer need the treatments. My cancer is completely gone and they believe it is going to stay that way." Bethany replied.

"So how is you family doing?" Annie asked remembering the pain she felt for Bethany when she got the call that her mother had passed away.

"Well daddy is in Iraq and I was hoping that maybe I could stay here with you guys again. I know I stayed when Simon and Ruthie where little and I was wondering if I still have a place to come to." Bethany pleaded with hope in her eyes.

"Why of course you can stay here! I will tell everyone we are having dinner here and we can introduce you then. You know that Matt, Sarah and Simon are here for vacation. I will give you a ride to the mall and maybe you can hang out there with Sam and David while I get the house ready?" Annie asked as she jumped up.

"Well I can help with the house if you want me too." Bethany said as Mrs. Camden had a far away look in her eyes.

"Oh no! That won't be necessary. Besides I want you to go have fun with Sam and David so that you can get to know them. Sam! David! Come on you are going to hang out at the mall with Bethany!" Mrs. Camden yelled up the stairs.

"Ok." They said in unison as they came down the stars. "We're gonna have lots of fun!" David said as Sam nodded his head.

They all got in the car and the ride to the mall was quiet. When they got there Bethany got out as Sam and David followed. They each grabbed a hand and wave to their mother.

"Everyone gets home at about 3:00, so I will have Eric pick you up at about 3:45. Is that ok? She asked with her head hanging out the window.

"That is fine." Bethany answered.

"We love you!" Sam and David said in unison once again. Annie drove off waving as all three of them waved back.

"Ok boys, where to first?" Bethany asked as both boys each took a hand again.

"Let's go get pizza!" Sam said as David nodded his head. "Yea I agree with him." He said as they started to lead Bethany to the pizza place. After all it had been a while since she had been there.

"Can I take your order?" A gloomy looking middle aged man at the counter asked.

Yea we would like..." Bethany trailed off.

"A half pepperoni..." Sam said his half.

"And a half cheese!" David added to the order.

"Please!" they both said.

"Will that be all?" he asked as he lazily punched the buttons on the cash register.

"We will also have three small sprites please." Bethany added on ask the cashier punched more buttons.

"That will be 21.36 and we will bring your order to your table." He said as Bethany paid with a 20 bill and A 10 bill. "Your change is eight sixty-four." He said handing her the change then speaking into the microphone.

"Let's go get a table." Bethany said as they picked one close to the door.

It didn't take long for the food to come so Bethany ate one slice and Sam and David each ate a slice and a half. By the time they were done with lunch it was 1:15 and they still had two and a half ours left. They decided to look at the stores and that made time fly.

"Well would you look at the time? Mr. Camden should be here." She said as she glanced at her cell phone's clock.

"We are learning how to read time." David said.

Sam nodded his head, "Yea it is very hard"

When they got outside Eric was waiting in his car. They got in and on the drive home Bethany told him the same thing she told Mrs. Camden.

"Thank the Lord!" Mr. Camden said as they pulled up into the driveway. "Well Annie is inside preparing dinner. So that means you have at least 45 minutes to do what every you want." Mr. Camden said as they walked up to the door.

"I think I will take a nap in Sam and David's room. They really wore me out." Bethany said as Sam and David smiled at each other then up at their dad.

"Yea we're gonna take a nap too." David said as he slouched a little.

"Yea Bethany can really wear you out." Sam said as Mr. Camden laughed at them.

"That is fine." He said as they all went inside.

Bethany, Sam and David headed up stairs to lay down as Eric went into the kitchen to greet his smiling wife.

"So how was your drive?" Annie asked as her husband greeted her with a kiss. "And where is Bethany, Sam and David?" he eyebrow raised.

"They went up stairs to take a nap before dinner. Where is everyone else?" Eric asked as he took a bite of the salad.

"Lucy and Kevin went shopping for a gift for Bethany because Lucy insisted. Martin, Ruthie, Peter, Matt, Sarah and Simon are watching TV and Roxanne and Chandler are going to get here in a little while." Annie answered her husband's question as she cut up the cucumber and added it to the salad. "And before you ask I don't need help with anything. Oh and don't tell any of them that Bethany is here. I only told Lucy because she kept asking why I was so excited about something. Besides I want to keep it a secret."

"Your secret is safe with me." He said as he walked into the living room.

"Hi dad." Simon, Lucy, Matt and Sarah (Matt's wife for those of you who don't know) said as he looked at the TV. News.

"Hello Mr. Camden." Peter and Martin said as they looked away from the TV.

"Hello I am going to be in my office, call me if you need me." He said.

"Where is Sam and David?" Lucy asked looking at the staircase.

"They are taking a nap. Please don't wake them up." He said as he headed for his office.

"Ok." They all answered as they turned their attention back to the TV.


	2. The Dinner

Note: Sorry that it is taking so long to post, my computer has been down.

The Dinner

Sam and David had gotten up 30 minutes after they had laid down and left Bethany to sleep for the last 15 minutes. Both boys trotted down stairs into the kitchen to help their mother set the table. When they entered the kitchen Lucy and Kevin where just greeting Annie.

"Oh Mom I am so excited that Bethany is back! I can't wait to see her again. Oh, hi Sam and David where is Bethany?" Lucy asked as she set her bags on the table and Kevin began to rummage through them.

"We let her finish sleeping." David said and Sam added, "Yea, I think we should keep it a secret that she is here."

"You now what boys?" Annie asked, "I think that is a wonderful idea." She winked at Lucy and Kevin.

"So what is this Bethany like?" Kevin asked as he pulled out the plates and handed Sam and David one plate each to put on the table.

"She was such a sweet girl when she lived with us and she left when her mother had died. She stayed with us when her mother was sick so that her father could help her mother through treatment. They didn't want her to remember her mother in a bed and sick and stuff like that." Lucy said as she grabbed the bag that had Bethany's gift and put it in the dining room.

"Yea, but the part you left out was that she left as well to start treatment for leukemia and visited off and on." Annie added.

"She sounds like a very fortunate young lady." Kevin said as he picked up a piece of the salad and ate it.

"Yea and she no longer needs treatment, her cancer is completely gone and the doctors think that it is gone for good." Annie said as they all smiled.

As they were conversing Eric walked in as Roxanne and Chandler entered. "Hello Lucy, Kevin, Sam and David, Chandler and Roxanne. Watch what you say everyone is coming." He warned them trying not to ruin the surprise.

Everyone took their seats and Matt was first to ask, "Why did you set an extra plate at the table Mom, do we have a guest?" he couldn't think of who else could possibly be there.

Annie smiled, "Sam, David why don't you go wake up our guest and tell them to come down?" she looked at the two boys.

"Ok." Sam said as the two of them left the room.

After a few antagonizing minutes the twins returned. "She said she will be down in a minute." David answered his mother's look and they both took their seats.

Everyone turned to see a young woman with long brown hair and emerald green eyes entering the doorway.

"Hello." She said as she took her seat feeling everyone's eyes on her.

The room was quiet as Lucy, Kevin, Eric, Annie, Roxanne, Chandler, Sam and David all sat with smiles on their faces. Mrs. Camden looked frustrated and was first to speak.

"Well don't any of you, and when I say you I mean my kids, recognize her?" she looked at them.

"I do." Simon slowly said, "What is she doing here?"

Bethany looked at her plate. She had feelings for Simon once and they had dated, but before she left she had an argument with him and they split up.

"Simon that is no way to greet a friend." Mr. Camden said.

"Friend? What friend?" he said as all the Camdens frowned. By now they all remembered her except for Sam and David because they hadn't been born yet.

"Alright, why don't we say grace and eat? That way you two can finish your conversation later." Mrs. Camden said as she looked at Simon and Bethany. Everyone held hands and said a prayer, once they were done they all dug into the delicious looking food.

Bethany looked at her plate as she remembered her last day here. She remembered how she had left during school and she never got the chance to apologize for the day's earlier incidents. They had pulled her out of class and she was sent home to stay with her father and she started painful treatment. Her mother had died the day before and she was young enough to understand death, but not to understand that her mother was never coming home. Sure she was about 10 years old, but she never wanted to believe her father. She even wrote her mother letters once a week that she never sent. Now here she was being reduced to nothing by a past friend while her father fought for his country, her life, and his life as well.

They must not have told Simon why she had really left. That she had left because she had been diagnosed with leukemia, the same thing that killed her mother. They put her right into treatment and she spent two years wearing a wig. Until her hair grew back and her father was departed she had thought that she was going to live. Now here she was debating on weather or not she would have been happier dead. Considering the fact that her bestfriend and ex-boyfriend wasn't very happy that she was here.

No, she couldn't think like that. If she had died her father would have had no reason to fight for his country. She thought through all of this while she was eating then she realized that she had been asked a question. She looked up and noticed that everyone was looking at her.

"I am sorry what was the question?" she asked looking at Mr. Camden.

"I asked how your dad was doing?" he looked at her with a little concern.

"He is doing good. He was diploid about a month ago and he will visit in five months." She answered as Martin looked up.

"Where was your father diploid to and what branch is he in?" He asked as Bethany finished her last bite of food on her plate.

"He was diploid to Iraq and he is in the Army. Why?" She handed her plate to Kevin who was helping Lucy and Mrs. Camden clear the table.

"That is cool I guess. I want to know because my father is in Iraq right now also." He smiled as he got up to clear the table.

By now everyone was up clearing the table and the kitchen was getting crowded. Bethany stood in the doorway and offered he hand at helping, but she was told no and Lucy pulled her into the dining room.

"What is it?" Bethany laughed as she looked at Lucy.

"Well Kevin and I where out we picked you up something. Do you remember that one time your mom came to visit while you where living with us? Well I got you something to remember that day." Lucy handed her a bag as she took a seat in on of the chairs.

Of course Bethany remembered that day, how could she forget? The Camdens had let her spend the whole day with her mother. She remembered how beautiful her mother looked and had actually thought that her mother was getting better. Lucy had taken a picture just before her and her mother left to go out.

Bethany opened the bag and pulled out a picture frame. The frame was made out of maple wood with a design in the wood and the picture was of Bethany and her mother. They where sitting on the couch and smiling, that was the last day Bethany saw her mother... alive. Bethany held the picture close to her as she looked up at Lucy with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you so much!" Bethany said as she stood up and hugged Lucy.

"Your welcome." She said as she embraced Bethany.

"It is so beautiful and I will put it next to my bed." Bethany said as she walked up stairs away from the crowed that was forming. The argument with Simon was going to have to wait.


End file.
